Transfer ring support and trimming knife



June 24, 1941. R. P. wEsToN 2,246,707

TRANSFER RING SUPPORT AND TRIMMING KNIFE v Filed Dec. 17, 1940 Patented June 24, 1941 UNITED STTES` TENT OFFICE TRANSFER RNG SUPPORT AND TRIMBHNG KNIFE 6 Claims.

This invention relates generally to knitting machines and more particularly to the transfer ring which is employed for transferring sections of tubular knitted material onto the needles of a tubular knitting machine for connection with another body of tubular material.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a combined rotatable support for a transfer ring and a cutting or trimming means arranged adjacent to said support whereby the transfer ring may be freely and smoothly rotated when a body of tubular knitted material has been placed thereon and the top part of such body may be quickly trimmed off so that the body can be transferred in the proper manner to the knitting machine.

The invention has for a more specific object the provision of a transfer ring support with which is combined an annular carriage mounted on anti-friction bearings on the support and adapted to have a transfer ring placed thereon whereby such transfer ring may be freely rotated as is necessary to facilitate the trimming of a body of tubular knitted material attached to the ring.

Still another object is to provide in association with an anti-friction bearing supporting means for a transfer ring, a trimming knife and supporting bracket therefor of novel construction by which the operation of turning the tubular Vknitted body and trimming the saine is facilitated.

A still further object is to provide in a device of the character stated, a novel trimming knife supporting means whereby there may be supported in position for use, a blade such as a portion of a single or double edge safety razor blade.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in -connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to -be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation of a transfer ring carrier showing mounted on the carrier the trimming knife and supporting bracket therefor constituting a part of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a View in top plan of the structure shown in Fig. 1 with parts broken away to illustrate the transfer ring anti-friction bearing carrier support.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a View looking at the side of the cutting blade supporting bracket opposite from the side shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I generally designates the transfer ring supporting body which is generally referred to as the transfer cup. This body is in the form of an annulus having formed integrally therewith the laterally projecting lug 2 which is apertured to receive a vertical supporting post 3. Also integrally formed with the body or cup i is a laterally extending arm il.

The numeral 5 generally designates the usual `transfer ring which is designed to be disposed with a part of itsflower portion within the cup.

In accordance with the present invention, the cup is provided with the interior annular shoulder t, in the top surface of which an anti-friction ball bearing race 'I is formed and in this race are placed anti-friction balls 8. rIhe numeral 9 generally designates the carriage for the transfer ring 5. This comprises upper and lower fiat rings lil and El, respectively, which are arranged in concentric relation and are coupled together by a plurality of pins I2, each of which is enclosed within a sleeve i3. The sleeves serve as spacers Ibetween the rings i!) and il of the carriage, maintaining the rings spaced apart a suflicient distance to receive between them and outside of the posts, the shoulder E, as shown in Fig. 3. Obviously, the rings are of an overall diameter greater than the interior diameter of the cup and the upper ring lil is also of slightly greater overall diameter than the lower ring Il so that the under face of the upper ring rests upon the anti-friction balls 3, as shown in Fig. 3, and the portion of the lower ring which extends slightly beyond the coupling posts Il engages beneath the shoulder, thus preventing the carriage from coming out of the transfer cup. As will be readily apparent, the carriage may be freely rotated within the cup, the sleeves I3 between the rings also acting as means for maintaining the rings oentered.

As is clearly seen from Fig. 3, the transfer ring 5 rests upon the top ring lil of the carriage and thus the transfer ring and the carriage may be freely turned together.

Supported upon the arm e is a cutting knife carrying bracket which is indicated generally by the numeral I4. This bracket is illustrated as being formed of two strips of metal indicated by the numerals I and It. These strips of metal are placed one upon the other as shown in Fig. 3, and are bent or shaped so as to provide a horizontal lower portion A which lies fiat upon the top of the arm 4 and is secured thereto by the bolt Il. This horizontal portion curves upwardly and inwardly toward the transfer ring, as indicated at B, and terminates in the straight upwardly and inwardly inclined upper end portion C.

The strips I5 and ES in the portion C are provided with alined threaded apertures for the reception of a screw I3 by means of which the upper ends of the plates in the portion C are held together. Covering the top edges of the plates in the portion C is a cap IS which upon one side has the downwardly extending portion 2i] through which the screw I8 passes. Upon the outer or front side of the portion C, an elongated bar 2l lies against the strip I5 and is held in position by the cap I9, having a portion of one end extended beyond the working edge of the knife bracket.

The working edge of the knife bracket is that edge toward which material moves when the transfer ring to which the material is attached is rotated. In the present case,*the ring would be rotated in a counterclockwise direction to move the material toward the working edge of the bracket. The working edge of each of the strips I5-IS in the portion C of the bracket is cut out or recessed, as indicated at 22, and the lower portion of each of these recesses is in communication with an aperture 23 which is formed through the upper part of the intermediate portion B of the bracket. Forwardly of this aperture 23 the under strip I is shaped to form a knife supporting tongue 2E while the upper strip I5 forwardly of the aperture 23 is formed to provide a setting tongue 25 and a guard tongue 26. The setting tongue 25 overlies the knife supporting tongue 2t but is slightly shorter than the latter for the purpose hereinafter disclosed while the guard tongue is longer than the setting tongue 25 and as shown in Fig. 3, extends across the space between the strips Iii- I6 in the portion C, in which the cutting blade is held.

The numeral 2'I designates the cutting blade;A

the sharpened edge of which is indicated at 28. This blade is placed in position by loosening the screw i3 and swinging the cap I9 up and over so as to release the upper edges of the portion C,v

strips and it is adjusted so that its lower edge at4 the end of the cutting edge 28 rests upon the support tongue 2t, while the cutting edge itself is located directly behind the guard tongue 26. When in this position, the outer side or face of the blade will be disposed against the end of the setting or positioning tongue 25. The blade is given the necessary adjustment so that its cutting edge will be inclined upwardly and forwardly toward the material to be out and the securing cap IQ is then replaced and when the screw I8 is tightened up, the ends of the strips will be drawn together so as to Vtightly grip the blade and hold it in cutting position.

By the provision of the strip 2| having an end extended beyond the cap I9 and the adjacent edges of the portions C, a means is provided for These upper ends of assisting an operator in adjusting the knife 21 after the cap has been replaced. This adjusting of the blade is effected by using the strip 2I as a lever, the operator applying pressure to the eX- tended end thereof for the purpose of springing the cap I9 so as to allow the upper portions C to separate slightly and thus permit the operator to adjust the position of the knife. This operation is, of course, carried out before the screw I3 is completely tightened up.

From the foregoing, it will be readily seen that with the present device, after a section of tubular knitted material is applied to the transfer ring in the customary manner, the ring may be freely rotated on its ball bearing supported carriage and the excess upper end portion of the knitted material may be drawn against the edge of the cutting knife as the ring is rotated and trimmed off to the proper extent. In this combination of anti-friction bearing supporting means for the transfer ring and cutting knife disposed in close proximity to the transfer ring, there is provided a unitary structure by which the trimming of the knitted material may be accomplished easily and accurately.

What is claimed is:

l. In a cup for a transfer ring, the combination of a freely rotatable carriage supported within said cup upon which the transfer ring is mounted and a trimming knife attached to the cup and disposed above the cup to occupy a position closely adjacent to the transfer ring when the latter is in position in the cup upon said carriage whereby an article attached to the transfer ring may be effectively trimmed as the ring is rotated with the carriage.

2. A knitting machine transfer ring support, comprising an annular cup formed to receive the ring, the cup having an inside shoulder over which the ring positions, an annular member disposed ov-er said shoulder and concentric with the cup, anti-friction elements interposed between the annular member and the shoulder, the annular member being designed to have the ring rest thereon, and a trimming knife secured to the cup above and adjacent the periphery of the annular member for cooperation with the transfer ring to effect the trimming of the top portion of a tubular knitted article attached to the ring.

3. A knitting machine transfer ring support and material trimmer, comprising an annular transfer ring supporting cup having an inside shoulder designed to receive the ring, said shoulder having a top surface formed to provide a ball rac-eway, anti-friction balls in said raceway, an annular carrier for said ring having two spaced concentric annular members between which said shoulder is located, one of said members resting upon said anti-friction balls, the said one of the members being designed to have the transfer ring disposed thereon, and a trimmer knife secured to the cup and disposed with respect thereto in a position to cooperate with the transfer ring in the trimming of the top portion of a tubular knitted article attached to the ring.

4. A transfer ring cup, comprising an annular body having an inside shoulder, a rotatable carrier for a transfer ring, comprising a pair of concentrically arranged spaced' annular members disposed concentric withthe annular body and lying one above and one below said shoulder, the said shoulder having anti-friction elements interposed between it and the annular member lying thereover, and connecting means between said annular members whereby the same will turn as a unit on said anti-friction elements, the

upper one of the annular members being disposed entirely within the annular body and cooperating therewith to form a cup within which a transfer ring may be disposed.

5. A trimmer for a transfer ring supporting cup, the cup being in the form of an annular member within which the transfer ring is rotatably supported, comprising a bracket having a lower end portion fixed to the outer side of the cup, an intermediate portion curving upwardly and inwardly over the top of the cup and a straight upper portion extending from the intermediate portion upwardly and inwardly over the cup, the bracket comprising two plates in side by side relation and said plates in the said upper portion being cut out at one vertical edge, a knife blade interposed between the plates in the upper portion and having an edge extending across the said cut out parts of the plates, the said upper portion of the bracket maintaining said-blade with the cutting edge directed substantially tangentially of the annular body, and means overlying the upper edges of the plates of said upper portion and securing said plates together.

6. A trimmer for a transfer ring cup, comprising a bracket secured to the cup and having a straight upwardly and inwardly inclined portion overlying the outer part of the cup, said upper portion of the bracket consisting of two plate members which at one vertical edge are inwardly cut to form recesses, a cutting blade disposed between said plate members and having a cutting edge extending substantially vertically across said recesses, means forming an inwardly extending nger at the lower part of said recesses upon which said blade rests, means forming two spaced inwardly extending fingers at the lower part of the recesses` above the rst finger, one of said two lingers engaging a side of the blade and the other one of the two ngers extending across the Vlower end of the cutting edge of the blade, and

means connecting and drawing said plates together to grip said blade therebetween.

RICHARD P. WESTON. 

